Summer SAVY, Session 3 Day 1, Dabbling with DNA: Genetics All Around Us (Jenkins) (3rd – 4th)
WOW! What an amazing first day of SAVY! The geneticists began the day by creating name plates and playing a getting to know you activity. Students then created a self-portrait of themselves and described the various activities they enjoyed doing regularly. This led to an insightful conversation about DNA, genetics, and what makes us “us”! We then took a walking field trip around our building to investigate all the different systems we observed. Students worked in small groups to collaborate on what systems they investigated/observed outside and discussed how they are similar to the systems that make up the human body. Students also learned how to say deoxyribonucleic acid…we practiced this word throughout the day!! 🙂 Ask your geneticist what they learned about this!
After lunch, we created a foldable that broke down the basic levels of DNA and began discussing our “secret code” (blueprint) in our DNA. Our foldable included genes, chromosomes, traits, and how they are related to each other! We went over the meaning of each term and drew the structures of what they would look like under a microscope! We worked on our foldables and discussed them as a whole class! We had so many curious questions that landed us in a wonderful class discussion! We then watched a short video that helped explain the breakdown of DNA…it was a hit! You’ll have to ask your student what they learned!
Tonight, please ask your student to recite, along with hand gestures, the levels of organization in the human body/organisms! We learned this to understand systems and the structure of an organism! We practiced this several times throughout the day, and I think they are pros at it by now! Ask them to be dramatic with their tone…they’ll understand what that means!!
Key takeaways/questions to ask tonight:
* How are systems similar to DNA and the human body?
* What are the levels of organization in the body?
* How are genes, traits, and chromosomes related?
Have a wonderful evening!!
Warmly,
Shelley Jenkins